Simonas Matulionis (MBA ’17) Discusses Career Change to Consulting

Simonas Matulionis, a recent Darden graduate of the Class of 2017, took time to reflect on his Darden experience and how it enabled him to change careers from equity research to consulting. This summer he will begin working full-time for Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in Dallas.

“An MBA was always a part of my game plan after completing my undergraduate education,” Matulionis said. “I learned about Darden through a co-worker, and when I came to visit I was blown away by the community, the people who were here, and how everyone was like a family. The class visits were amazing as well, and experiencing the case method made me realize how I needed to be in this environment where the students really cared in the classroom.”

When Matulionis first arrived at Darden, he didn’t know what the next steps in his career looked like until he began researching different industries and learned more about consulting. “I started researching different consulting companies and fell in love with BCG from the beginning. It was my top company going into recruiting,” Matulionis recalled.

There were a number of resources Matulionis utilized to work towards achieving his goal of working at BCG including his Career Development Center (CDC) Second Year Coach, CDC Career Education workshops, and the Darden alumni network at BCG. “My coach had advice that was very insightful since he had just gone through the same process I was about to go through. The CDC workshops were also helpful for learning what to expect in a consulting interview and how to reach out to people,” Matulionis said.

Matulionis landed an internship with BCG, where he embraced the consulting culture working with partners on business strategy, planning for potential client-facing work, and learning what being on a case team was like. His internship then converted into a full-time offer with BCG in Dallas. “The Darden classroom mixed teaching technical skills with thinking about problems broadly and being able to speak to those problems. My decision analysis courses were also very important for preparing me for consulting,” Matulionis said.

Matulionis ended with sharing his advice for the incoming Class of 2019 and beginning their career search. “Really try to find where you resonate with the people that you talk to because it’s a two-way street. You have to make sure that you know you can appreciate the people that you work with and work well with them. Also, be natural in your conversations with people and don’t try to be too methodical in your approach to recruiting.”